Scan barcode
A review by alrautio
Panopticon Writings by Jeremy Bentham
3.0
Very interesting subject (prisons that is, especially the idea of a prison through history and looking back at past conceptions), but too dry for me; it was a bit of a grind to get through. One passage from letter x I liked in particular, however:
"'What trades may I put my men to when I have got them?' My answer is soon given. 'Any whatever that you can persuade them [inmates] to turn their hands to.'"
Inmates would then be further divided into four categories as follows: the good hands, the capable hands, the promising hands, and the drones, with the good hands having been otherwise 'upstanding' citizens of trades and the drones having no trade at all previously having been petty thieves etc.
"'What trades may I put my men to when I have got them?' My answer is soon given. 'Any whatever that you can persuade them [inmates] to turn their hands to.'"
Inmates would then be further divided into four categories as follows: the good hands, the capable hands, the promising hands, and the drones, with the good hands having been otherwise 'upstanding' citizens of trades and the drones having no trade at all previously having been petty thieves etc.